In my 10+ years in the software development industry and 5 years as a product person, I have experienced many situations where people confuse UI modification with product design. I have also experienced situations where hiring a designer is considered an “extra” expenditure, something that is non-core. I have spent many hours explaining to teams that I work with that design comes first and needs to drive engineering. This image is a 30K feet view of how its supposed to work.
If you are thinking of building a new product, investing in one, or trying to convince your team to get a designer from day 1 - this image is for you. Its an attempt to explain in a nutshell, how to drive your product from a design-first approach but making sure tech is in sync.
The key thing to notice in the flow above, is that it does not discount engineering at the expense of design. Both pillars are equally important for a successful product — and both must work together.
If you need more help or ideas on this, feel free to hit me up on twitter or email tn [at] factordaily [dot] com. I am always interested in helping folks build new, shiny things. :-)
